AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Square Enix has released a streaming Windows Media trailer for the Grandia 3 PS2 RPG. The game is scheduled for Japanese release on August 11th.

Source: The Magic Box

Question:
I’ve been told by fans who follow the Naruto manga that the Naruto versus Sasuke battle (beginning around TV episode 130) reaches Dragonball Z levels of over-the-top insanity. Interestingly, they all say that with a groan, as if extreme shounen fighting is a bad thing. Most American Naruto fans have complained about the manga and anime because it’s becoming too much like Dragonball Z (over the top, unrealistic fighting, slow pacing, huge special attacks), but I never saw an indication that Naruto was going to be a realistic fighting anime from the beginning. It further doesn’t make much sense to me to selectively love and hate shounen fighting shows. I think you can have favorites, but I don’t see how a person can love Yuu Yuu Hakusho, Naruto, One Piece, and Hunter X Hunter but hate Dragonball Z, Flame of Recca, and Fist of the North Star. Their stories, characters, and packaging are different, but they are all made of the same mold and soul: passionate youths fighting each other. I don’t see how you can go from thinking Naruto is the Second Coming of Anime until Sasuke gets angsty and fights Naruto, at which point you decide it’s so lame you stop watching. Naruto was always essentially a slightly more restrainted version of Dragonball Z.

What I really think is going on is elitism in the American fan. Once Naruto started becoming popular among newbie anime fans, it suddenly became too popular. Because anime fans feel the need to assert an identity of belonging to an upper tier of a subculture group, they have to now dislike Naruto because it seems too popular and too similar to Dragonball Z, which they associate with those who are unworthy to be “true” anime fans. What do you think? Do I have a good hypothesis or do you think I’m way off base?

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The official Japanese website for the XXXholic and Tsubasa Chronicle movies now hosts a streaming 42 second long teaser trailer. Click the third red box on the right.

Source: Moon Phase

The official website for the Eien no Aseria: Spirit of Eternity Sword anime OAV series now hosts a Shockwave Flash trailer. Click the small trailer on the front page for a larger version. The first OAV will be released on June 24th.

Source: Moon Phase

Xebec has officially announced development of a new Fafner anime titled “Sokyuu no Fafner – Single Program – Right of Left-.” No specific details are available.

Source: Moon Phase

AD Vision has announced that the first volume of the Full Metal Panic: Overload (Ikinari! Full Metal Panic) manga series will be released on June 6th and retail at $9.99.

Furthermore, AD Vision has increased the cover price on all volumes of the Cromartie High School manga series, including the already released volume one, from $9.99 to $10.99.

Source: Anime on DVD

TOKYOPOP has scheduled release dates for two new Gundam titles.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Ecole du Ciel manga volume 1 will retail at $9.99 beginning September 13th.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED novel 1 will retail at $7.99 beginning September 30th.

Source: Anime on DVD

Amazon.com has listed TOKYOPOP as the domestic licensor of four new graphic novel series:

Kingdom Hearts, by Shiro Amano
Spiral, by Kyo Shirodaira and Eita Mizuno
Lights Out, by Myung-Jin Lee
Justice N Mercy, by Min-Woo Hyung

Source: Anime on DVD

Eight years after the Japanese release of Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth, Gainax has announced a commemorative, limited edition Rei Ayanami Evangelion Death & Rebirth zippo cigarette lighter set. The serially numbered set will include a blue lighter and a portable ashtray shaped like an Evangelion entry plug. The set retails at 14,175 yen (approx. $134). Reservations through the Gainax online shop open today for delivery in August. Tentative plans are to produce no more than 100 sets.

Source: ITMedia

The official Japanese website for the Playstation 2 game “Sakura Taisen 5: Saraba Aishiki Hitoyo” is now open.

Konami has opened its page for the Mar Heaven: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door action RPG for the Gameboy Advance. The game is scheduled for release on June 30th.

Source: Moon Phase

Question:
Do you agree with people that think anime such as Sailor Moon and DragonBall Z are childish?

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Production I.G. has officially announced development of an anime motion picture adaptation of CLAMP’s Tsubasa – RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE manga series. The XXXHolic ~ Manatsu no Yoru no Yume (XXXHolic: Dark Dream of Summer) motion picture will be released this August as a double feature with the Tsubasa Chronicle ~ Tori Kago no Kuni no Himegumi (Tsubasa Chronicle: Princess of the Country of the Bird Cage) motion picture. Both films will be animated by Production I.G.

Source: Anime News Network

The deadline for entries to DVD Vision Japan’s Mascot Idol Contest is May 1st.

The deadline for nominations to the second annual Crown of Anime Tournament is May 4th.

The Magic Box now hosts screenshots of Namco’s arcade light gun shooting game “Cobra the Arcade,” based on the 1982 Space Adventure Cobra anime TV series. The game will be available in Japanese arcades this summer.

Atlus has announced plans to release an American version of popular Korean PS2 RPG Magna Carta. The game is known as “Magna Carta: Crimson Stigmata” in Japan, and will be released as “Magna Carta: Tears of Blood” in America.

Article provided by Galaxy Anime